Tray or table attachment



I. L. HAY

-TRAY on TABLE ATTACHMENT Filed May 7 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1 I P I 129' 17 7 0' gwuwntoz May 6 1924. 1,493,036

l. L. HAY

TRAY OR TABLE ATTACHMENT Filed May 7. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented ayG, 192%.

d T N T F C E a ID'US L. HAY, OF DONALSONVILLE, GEORGIA.

TY OR TABLE ATTACHMENT.

Application filed May 7, 1923. Serial No. 637,856.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, InUs L. HAY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Donalsonville, county of Seminole, State of Georgia, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Tray or TableAttachments; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to tray or table at tachments; and it relatesmore particularly to such attachments adapted to be removably mountedupon other articles for conjoint use of the tray or table and thearticle to which it is attached.

A general object of the invention is to provide a tray ortable-attachment, or holder as it may also be termed, simple inconstruction, cheap to manufacture, and readily mounted and removed by asimple hand manipulation without the use of tools.

A more particular object of the invention is to provide such anattachment or holder adapted to be removably mounted upon an automobilefor use as a refreshment table or the like by the occupants of thevehicle.

A further object of the invention is to provide such an attachment orholder which in the mounting operation may be held in the desiredpositlon by one hand and clamped in position my movement by the otherhand of a single movable part.

Broadly stated, the novel attachment or holder comprises a top plate,preferably in the form of a tray, two or more jaw or clamping membersmounted upon the bottom of the plate or tray for relative move-' ment toengage opposite sides of an upright support, such for example as a sidewall of an automobile body, with the plate or tray positioned upon theupper edge of the supporting body and extending therefrom, and handoperated means mounted on the plate or tray for adjusting the jaws. -Ina preferred form of the device, the hand operated means is such as torequire movement of but I a single element and in a straight line inonedirection to clamp the jaws against the support, handle means beingprovided whereby this movement may be performed by a gripping action ofone hand of the operator, the other hand being thus free to locate thetop plate or tray in the desired position upon the support.

The objects and principles of my invention will more fully appear from adetailed description hereinafter to be given of an illustrativeembodiment of my invention in a preferred form. It is to be understood,however, that the embodiment hereinafter described is merelyillustrative of my invention and that the broad scope of the inventionincludes various other specific embodiments in accordance with theprinciples of the inven: tion and as defined in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig.1 is a side elevational view of a preferred embodiment of my noveltable attachment or holder;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view;

Fig. 3 is anend view;

Fig. 4 is an end view of a bottom plate which is affixed to the bottomof the table-top or tray;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a corner portion of the table-top ortray showing details of its construction;

Fig. 6 is a perspective bottom view on a reduced scale of the attachmentor holder showing the jaws or clamping members adapted to clamp theattachment upon a support and handle means gripped by the hand of theoperator in the act of adjusting the jaws; and a Fig. 7 is a perspectiveview of an automobile showing the attachment mounted upon a side portionthereof in position for use, for example, as a refreshment table ortray.

Any suitable form of plate or tray may be employed as thearticle-supporting element of the attachment. In the preferredembodiment of the invention, however, a tray, de-

sirably of thin sheet metal, for example, galvanized iron, and indicatedby the numeral 1 in the drawings, is employed. The tray is formed of arectangular metal sheet or plate with upturned and rolled edges 2 asshown particularly in Fig. 5.

To the bottom of the tray is secured a base-plate 3, rivets 4 beingemployed as the securing means, although obviously the parts may besecured together by soldering or by any other suitable means. The baseplate, like the tray, is preferably formed of thin sheet metal, and hasdown-turned and rolled edges 5 along its two sides of greatest lengthand a central longitudinally extending ofi'set portion 6, as shownparticularly in the end elevational view of Fig. 4. As shown in Fig. 2,the base-plate is of less section to conform to the bounding wallsofriveted thereto an length and width than thetray, and with the partssecured together, the ofiset portion 6 of the base-plate cooperates withthe bottom of the tray to form a longitudinalslideway for a jaw-bar 7.The jaw-bar 7, of any suitable rigid material, preferably of wroughtiron, is rectangular in crossthe slideway with an easy slidin fittherein. The jaw-bar 7 extends entire y through the slide way and uponone end thereof, the left hand end as viewed in Figs. 1, 2 and 6, ismounted a jaw member 8. The jaw memher 8 may be a separate memberattached to the jaw bar 7 or it may be integral therewith. In thespecific form of the device here shown, the jaw member 8 is integralwith the jaw-bar 7, the bar being bent to form thetwo parts 7 and.8.W'ith the jaw-bar 7 mounted in the slideway as shown in Fig. 1, thejaw-member 8 depends therefrom and downwardly from the tray bottom at aslight inclination from the vertical so as to adapt the jaw-member 8 toe age the inner side of the slightly inclined s de wall oi an automobilebody. Where the attachment is intended to be mounted upon a strictlyvertical support, the jaw-member 8 as well as the cooperatingjaw-members later to be referred to would be arranged to extendperpendicularly from the tray bottom.

The jaw-member 8, because of its mounting on the slidable jaw-bar 7,constitutes a movable jaw-member.

Spaced at equal distances on opposite sides of the offset portion 6 ofthe base-plate and at equal distances inwardly of the end of the trayare fixed jaw-members 9 and 10. These fixed jaw-members 9 and 10 havetheir ,bases upon the tray bottom and closely adjacent one end of thebaselate, as shownin Figs. 1 and 2." As also 5 own in Figs. 1 and 2,these fixed jaw-members 9 and 10 are provided, respectively, with strapportions 9', 9" and 10', 10", the strap portions 9 and 10' extendingfrom the bases of the jaw-members alon' the tray bottom and the strapportions 9" and '10" extending from the free depending ends of the jawmembers obli uely to and then along the base-plate and riveted thereto..The aw-members 9 and 10 are, by the stra portions referred to, fixedlyattached to t etray and base-plate to de end therefrom in a planeparallel with t e depending jaw-member 8, and are adaptedto engage thesupporting body on the side opposite to that engaged by the movablejawmember' 8. In other words, the fixed jawmembers 9 and 10, as a pair,cooperate with the movable jaw member 8*to clamp the attachment upon thesup ort.

Pads 11 of rubber, elt or the like, are mounted upon'the inner face ofthe movable jaw-member 8 endupon the outer faces at towar aeeaoee thefixed jaw members 9 and 10 and along the exposed faces of the strapportions. 9' and 10', so as to prevent the faces of the parts-referredto, which enage the supporting body, from marring its finish, forexample, where the supporting body is the side wall of an automobile. Inaddition to the referred to function of the pads, they provide a firmgripping surface or the clamping parts.

Handle means are provided for sliding the jaw-bar 7 along the traybottom to thereb adjust the movable jaw member 8 d or away from thefixed jaw members 9 and 10. In the preferred embodiment of theinvention, such handle means comprises two handle parts, one fixed tothe *baseplate of the tray and the other movable with the bar of themovable jaw member,.and both handle parts are disposed inrelation to begripped by one hand of the operator in the act of clamping theattachment upon the support. The fixed handle part con-v sist of a stemportion 12 of wood or other suitable material, adapted to be grasped bythe hand of the operator. The base of the stem 12 rests upon the centralofiset portion 6 of the bottom plate and this stem is securely anchoredupon the base-plate by a metal strap 13 secured to and encompassing twoopposite sides and the free end of the stem and terminating in sideportions riveted as at 14to'the bottom plate.

The movable handle part consists of a hook-shaped finger hold 15 fixedto the jawbar 7 and hence movable therewith, a slot 16 (Fig. 2) beingformed in the ofiset portion 6 of the bottom plate to permit themovement of the finger hold 15 longitudin'ally of the tray bottom. Thehand of the operator grasping the handle 12 with a finger extended aboutthe finger hold 15, is represented in Fi 6. As appears from .theillustration, a pn by the finger upon the finger-hold 15 slides the jawbar 7 in a direction, to the right as viewed in Fig. 6, to

move the jaw member 8 towards-the jaw members 9 and 10.

Ratchet teeth 17 are formed upon the gagement with the ratchet teeth.The pawl an ratchet are so cooperatively arranged, as is clear from Fig.1, that the jaw member -8 is freely movable toward the jaw members 9endlO to clamp the attachment upon its support, but no movement of thejaw mem- Mr 8- in-the opposite direction to free the jaw members fromtheir' clamping engagement with the support is Wsible unless the awl ismanually releam Such manual re ease.

4 ,tion may be I operator, the and gripping the handle part members.Upon such separation of the jaw members, the attachment may be liftedfrom its support. j

As-shown in Fig. 6, the clamping operaerformed by one hand of the 12 andthe extended finger pulling upon the finger hold 15, thus leaving theother hand free to'locate the tray upon the upper edge of its support inthe position shown in Fig. 7. The. attachment is therefore extremelyconvenient in the mechanism for its mounting, is self-contained, alloperating parts being mounted upon a unitary structure, and requires nosupplementary mechanisms or tools for its mounting or demounting.Moreover, a sliding movement of a single movable part, the j aw-bar 7carrying the jaw member 8 and finger-hold 15, operates to engage the jawmembers with the support to clamp the attachment in position,'thusavoiding a plurality of or complexity of movements in adjusting the jawor clamping members.

What I claim is:

1, A holder comprising, in combination,

an article supporting plate, cooperating jaw' or clamping membersmounted upon said plate for relative movements in approaching andseparating directions and adapted to engage opposite sides of asupporting body to clamp said plate in supported position, and manuallyoperable means for imparting relative movements to said jaw members,said means comprising two handle parts adapted to be gripped together inrelative approaching movement by the hand of the operator to impartrelative movement to said jaw members in approaching direction.

2. A table attachment, comprising, in combination a table-top, jaw orclam ing members mounted upon the under sur ace of said table-top forrelative movements in approaching and separating directions and adaptedto engage opposite sides of a supporting body to clamp said table-top insupported position and manually operable means for imparting relativemovements to said jaw members, said means comprising two handle artsspaced from said jaw members and a apted to be gripped together inrelative approaching movement by the hand of, the operator to impartrelative movement aw members in approaching direction. I

' 3. An-attachment adapted to be mounted upon the upper edge of the sidewall of an automobile or other substantially vertical support,comprising, in combination, a tray, a jaw or clamping member fixedlymoimted upon the bottom of said tray and arranged to engage one side ofsaid support in mounting sai'dattachment, a bar slidably mounted on saidtray bottom,a jaw or clamping mem ber fixed to said'bar and arrangedupon sliding movements of said bar to be moved into and out ofengagement with the opposite side of said support, a finger hold uponsaid bar and a handle on said tray bottom, said finger hold and handlebeing cooperatively arranged to be gripped together by one hand of theoperator to efl'ect a sliding movement of said bar in the mounting ofsaid attachment.

4. A holder comprising, in combination, an article supporting frame,cooperating jaw or clamping members mounted upon said frame for relativemovements of adjustment in approaching and separating directions andadapted to engage opposite sides of a supporting body to clamp saidframe in supported position, means for manually adjusting said jawmember comprising two handle parts adapted to be gripped together inrelative approaching movement by the hand of the operator to impartrelative movement to said jaw members in approaching direction and adetent device permitting unrestrained relative movement of said jawmembers in approaching direction but restraining relative movement ofsaid jaw members in separating direction.

5. An attachment adapted to be mounted upon the upper edge of the sidewall of an automobile or other substantially vertical support,comprising, in combination, a tray, a ratchet bar slidably mountedtiponthe bottom of said tray, a jaw or clamping member fixedly mounted onsaid ratchet bar to be movable therewith, opposed jaw or clampingmembers fixedly mounted on the bottom of said tray, said first mentionedjaw memher and opposed jaw members being adapted to engage oppositesides of said support in mounting said attachment, 'a handle partfixedly mounted on said tray bottom, a cooperating handle part -mountedon said ratchet bar, said handle parts being adapted and arranged to begripped together by one hand of the operator for sliding movement ofsaid ratchet bar in a direction to bring said jaw members intosaidengagement with opposite sides of said support, and a spring presseddetent engaging said ratchet bar to releasably retain said jaw membersin said positions of engagement with said said support.

si ature. gn IDUS L. HAY.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my

